Bananas — physiology and biochemistry of storage and ripening for optimum quality

Abstract

Bananas (Musa spp.) are a major food crop of the humid tropics, and although edible cultivars are diverse and numerous, most of our knowledge of the physiology and biochemistry of these fruits relates to a few dessert cultivars of the AAA type, mainly of the Cavendish subgroup, which dominate the export trade between tropical and temperate zones. The preclimacteric period of banana fruits after harvest determines their transportability, and its duration is very sensitive to changes in fruit maturity, storage temperature, ethylene concentration, and other factors; progress in measurement and resolution of each of these effects is described. Changes in composition of the ripening fruits, especially in the development of flavor volatiles, are reviewed. Progress in understanding the integration of the biochemical changes controlling ripening in banana fruits is discussed. Recent work on storage, ripening, and factors relating to sensory assessment of fruit quality is discussed for cultivars of Musa types not used in major export trades.

Caracterização físico-química dos frutos de genótipos de bananeira produzidos em Botucatu-SP

“…Segundo Marriot & Palmer (1980), os açúcares que constituem normalmente 0,5 a 2 % da polpa das bananas verdes, aumentam para 15 a 20 % na polpa madura, em razão da degradação do amido.…”

“…Marriot & Palmer (1980), relataram que entre 20 e 25 % da polpa do fruto verde fresco é amido. Durante o processo de amadurecimento, este amido é hidrolisado quase que completamente, sendo que a polpa madura passa a ter entre 1 e 2 % de amido.…”

Effects of Black Leaf Streak Disease and Sigatoka Disease on fruit quality and maturation process of bananas produced in the subtropical conditions of southern Brazil

“…Nanicão) are climacteric fruits (Burg and Burg, 1965) that are typically harvested at a green pre-climacteric stage prior to commercialization. Banana ripening can be artificially induced by treatment with exogenous ethylene in commercial ripening rooms (Marriott, 1980). The elapsed time between harvest and the start of the natural ripening of the banana by endogenous ethylene is called green life (GL) (Peacock and Blake, 1970).…”

Mudanças fisiológicas e químicas em bananas 'Nanica' e 'Pacovan' tratadas com carbureto de cálcio

“…A climatização de banana tem sido realizada no Brejo Paraibano através da aplicação do acetileno, uma vez que esse gás pode ser obtido a custo acessível através da reação de carbureto de cálcio (CaC 2 ) com água (Marriot, 1980) ou mesmo deixando-o reagir com o vapor de água liberado pelas frutas (Reid, 1992) e/ou com a umidade do ar atmosférico (Loesecke, 1950). Para se obter uma concentração de 0,1% de acetileno, são necessários reagir 2,66 gramas de CaC 2 com o dobro de água, para ocorrer a liberação de gás suficiente para induzir a maturação em frutas por metro cúbico de câmara totalmente vedada (Moreira, 1987).…”